James Stuart Rankin was born in St John's, New Brunswick, Canada and moved to Washington state in early adulthood. He was the son of James Rankin and Lydia Hester Shea. He married Abbie Reta Carvell in 1893 and had six children: James, Harold, Whitney, Madeline, Abbie and John.

James's Obituary... I do not have the name of the newpaper it was originally printed in.

"James Stuart Rankin, editor of the Times of Willamina, was born in Carleton county, province of New Brunswick, Canada, April 6, 1863, a son of James and Lydia Hester Shea Rankin.

The father, James Rankin, of Scotch and English parentage, was a native of Scotland, but lived in Canada until late in his life and then moved to the State of Washington, where he died in 1902. He was a farmer by occupation and also engage in logging. He fought in some of the Indian Wars, in which he rendered valiant service.

The mother, Lydia, of English and Scotch descent, was born in Canada and died there when her son, James S., was only three years of age. In their family were five children, Alexander; Marion the wife of Dr. E. S. Frost of Willmar, Minnesota; Edith, John S. of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and James Stuart of this history.

James Stuart Rankin attended school in Canada but left that country in 1874, making his home in Willmar, Minnesota. Subsequently he was a student for two terms in the Shattuck Military Academy at Faribault, Minnesota. After living in Minnsota for fourteen years he went to North Dakota, where he remained seven years as editor of that paper. Later he removed to Washington and located near Auburn, where for ten years he was a proprietor of a hop yard. Later he reentered the field of journalism, buying and managing a paper in Auburn. From there he went to Seattle and later to Tacoma, where he was employed as a smelter. Finally he arrived in Oregon in 1907, settling in McMinnville, where he became the foreman of the News Reporter. In March 1911 he came to Willamina and took charge of the Times. It had a circulation of 500 copies and increased one hundred and fifty since he began managing it.

James was married in North Dakota in 1892 to Miss Abbie Carvell, a native of Elk River, Minnesota, and they have become the parents of six children; Frank, Harold Whitney, Madeline, Abbie and John. In politic, James was a consistent Republican and the paper he published advocated the principles of that party.

Abbie was a member of the Episcopal Church, and James was recognized as a progressive business man and was greatly admired by the community. He died the 25th of September 1929 in Portland, Oregon and was laid to rest in Lincoln Memorial Park. "